Roger Stone indictment references 'Frank Pentangeli,' a character from 'The Godfather: Part 2'

Roger Stone speaks to the media at Trump Tower in New York on December 6, 2016.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Roger Stone was indicted and arrested on Friday.

Stone was charged with one count of obstruction, five counts of making false statements, and one count of witness tampering, according to a Justice Department filing on Thursday.

The indictment contains a reference to a character from "The Godfather: Part II" who is intimidated into not testifying against a mafia boss.

The indictment said that in late 2017 Stone told an associate, identified as "Person 2," that they "should do a 'Frank Pentangeli'" before the House Intelligence Committee "in order to avoid contradicting Stone's testimony."

The filing goes on to say: "Frank Pentangeli is a character in the film 'The Godfather: Part II,' which both Stone and Person 2 had discussed, who testifies before a congressional committee and in that testimony claims not to know critical information that he does in fact know."

Friday's indictment contains several peculiar references to statements Stone made to various associates, including a mention of a fictional character from "The Godfather: Part II."

The indictment said that in late 2017 Stone on "multiple occasions" told an associate, identified as "Person 2," that they "should do a 'Frank Pentangeli'" before the House Intelligence Committee "in order to avoid contradicting Stone's testimony."

The filing goes on to say: "Frank Pentangeli is a character in the film 'The Godfather: Part II,' which both Stone and Person 2 had discussed, who testifies before a congressional committee and in that testimony claims not to know critical information that he does in fact know."

It also said that Stone told Person 2: "If you testify you're a fool ... I could never get away with a certain [sic] my Fifth Amendment rights but you can. I guarantee you you are the one who gets indicted for perjury if you're stupid enough to testify."

Person 2 is believed to be Randy Credico, a comedian and left-wing radio host.

Both Credico and Stone have been tied to WikiLeaks, the organization behind the release of a trove of emails, obtained by Russian hackers, from the Democratic National Committee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign before the 2016 presidential election.

In late 2017, Credico asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination shortly before he was set to testify before the House Intelligence Committee, which then said his presence was no longer required. Credico did, however, appear before Mueller's grand jury in September.

In "The Godfather: Part II," Pentangeli is called to testify before the Senate against Michael Corleone, the main character and mafia boss, but is ultimately dissuaded from doing so when Corleone brings Pentangeli's brother to the hearing all the way from Sicily — essentially to intimidate Pentangeli into not testifying against Corleone and to remind him of the code of silence he swore to uphold as a member of the mafia.

Pentangeli then contradicts a sworn statement with damning allegations against Corleone and more or less tells senators that Corleone is not guilty of any wrongdoing.

Subsequently, Corleone's lawyer visits Pentangeli in prison, telling him that traitors in ancient Rome could save their families from retribution if they killed themselves, which Pentangeli ultimately does.

Watch the scene from "The Godfather: Part II" in which Pentangeli appears before Congress: